Alleged Holocaust Museum Shooter Dies

The 89-year-old white supremacist who allegedly opened fire and killed a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in June has died himself, officials tell FOX News.

James von Brunn, charged with first-degree murder, hate crimes and weapons-related offenses, died shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday at a prison hospital in North Carolina, according to U.S. officials and the von Brunn’s lawyer, public defender A. J. Kramer.

A status conference in the case against von Brunn had been set for later this month at U.S. District Court in Washington.

Asked in July whether the case would ever go to trial, considering von Brunn’s age and then-medical state, Kramer said, “Seriously, I have no idea.”

Discussing what caused von Brunn’s death, a U.S. official said von Brunn had “a history of poor health,” including “congestive heart failure.”

In September, von Brunn was transferred to the federal prison in North Carolina so authorities could determine whether he was competent to stand trial.

He was previously being held inside a prison ward of a Washington hospital, where he was being treated for injuries sustained after special police officer Stephen Johns shot von Brunn in the face.

Von Brunn was unable to appear in court for several weeks due to the injuries.

A source tells FOX News that while hospitalized in Washington, von Brunn passed notes to nurses saying he wanted to die.

A grand jury has indicted von Brunn for the June 10 attack that killed Johns.